Gorsepaw's narrow face was right in front of Scorchpaw as the ginger-and-white apprentice landed on his friend's patched chest. The two apprentices rolled with each other in the clearing, dust and grass staining their pelts as they lashed out at each other. Scorchpaw finally wrestled Gorsepaw down and held him to the ground with his paws, grinning with satisfaction.
"You finally won," Gorsepaw meowed. "I was beginning to think we'd be here all day." Despite his teasing words, there was a kindness to Gorsepaw's voice that softened the sting. Scorchpaw let go of his friend and sat down, licking the dust from his fur.
"Well, you're the one who finally told me where my weaknesses were," Scorchpaw replied. "I think Berrysplash was too scared to tell me, to be honest."
"Maybe she thinks she'll be punished by Swiftstar," Gorsepaw suggested.
"I guess," Scorchpaw agreed. "But how will I ever learn if she doesn't tell me where my weaknesses lay?" Despair tugged at his heart as he realized that Gorsepaw was probably right. Would every cat tip toe around him just because he was the Clan leader's son? Would he ever gain respect from his Clanmates for his achievements, and not the fact that he was Swiftstar's kin? As he gazed at Gorsepaw, he realized there was one cat who liked him for who he was.
"So, do you want to practice again?" Gorsepaw asked, changing the topic. "Now that you know that you're putting too much strength in your back paws and not enough in your front?"
"I think I've learned it for now," Scorchpaw replied, the ache in his back legs growing stronger and stronger by the moment. He had been training with Gorsepaw since the sun had risen, and now it was at its highest peak in the sky. "Why don't we go hunting? We shouldn't go back to camp empty-pawed."
Gorsepaw nodded. The tom turned on his heel and left the clearing, and Scorchpaw bounded right next to him. He tasted the chilly air, searching for any trace of a rabbit or a hare. He didn't want to go home without anything to feed his Clan. Right next to him, Gorsepaw was sniffing the air intently. But even though the two toms spent moments searching the plains and tasting the scents, neither of them could find anything.
"We should go further into the moorland," Gorsepaw suggested, "if we want to find anything, because I can't scent anything here. Can you?"
"I can't," Scorchpaw replied, irritation making his blood boil. Gorsepaw was right – if they wanted a chance at catching anything, they'd have to travel further, past the heart of WindClan territory. But out there laid unclaimed wilderness, and even further was the Twolegplace. I'm not scared. If I have to travel to the ends of the earth to feed my Clan, then that's what I'll do.
Scorchpaw took the lead as the two toms broke into a sprint, their noses never leaving the air as they cut through the grassland. The light, musky scent of heather and rabbit – the classic scent of WindClan – started to lose its thickness, and just as Scorchpaw and Gorsepaw reached the crown of a massive rolling hill, Scorchpaw realized they had left WindClan's territory. Scorchpaw skidded to a halt, his jaw wide as he saw just how far the hills beyond stretched. They seemed to roll endlessly, towards the sky, and just in the distance Scorchpaw could see gray peaks, surely the mountains that the WindClan elders spoke about. Wow.
"Should we go back?" Gorsepaw asked, looking over his shoulder and interrupting Scorchpaw's silent observation of the world around him. "Maybe we can head near the ThunderClan or RiverClan border."
Scorchpaw was about to agree with Gorsepaw until he looked down the crown and saw a patch of brown, hopping as if it didn't have a care in the world. Since Scorchpaw couldn't detect the scent of any predators, it probably didn't. Scorchpaw narrowed his eyes and peered his head further, recognizing the massive, plump shape of a hare. It's massive! This was a catch too good to give up.
"No," Scorchpaw replied, shaking his head. "We've got to catch that hare, no matter what. It'll feed both Smokebelly and Tinybird."
Gorsepaw let out a sigh but followed Scorchpaw as the tom quietly trekked down the hill, flattening his fur and making his pawsteps as quiet as possible. Gorsepaw was behind him, as silent as the wind itself. Just as Scorchpaw approached the base of the hill, the hare pricked its ears, looked around, and bolted through the grass.
No! Forgetting all about stalking quietly, Scorchpaw hared off after it, his paws kicking up dirt as he dashed through the grassland, determination to catch the hare fueling his speed. Gorsepaw ran around him, parallel to the hare. Scorchpaw gave his friend a swift nod – they would catch the hare, no matter what. But the hare was running faster and faster, giving the WindClan cats a good run for their prey. I won't let it get away, Scorchpaw thought.
A flash of ginger-and-white fur hurtled in front of Scorchpaw's vision and landed on the hare in seconds, ending its life with a quick nip to its neck. Scorchpaw skidded to a halt, gaping at the cat who had stolen his prey. The cat tossed the hare to the ground, a massive grin on his face, clearly victorious over his catch. The cat turned its head, meeting Scorchpaw's gaze. His jaw dropped open and his eyes widened, as if he had caught vision of a ghost.
"Hey!" Scorchpaw snarled at the rogue. He could hear Gorsepaw racing behind him and stopping next to him. "You stole my prey! That's not yours!"
The cat did not speak, simply gawking at Scorchpaw. Scorchpaw took a step back, unsettled by the way the cat was staring at him. The ginger-and-white tom was skinny and frail, and there were several lines to his face, indicating his old age. The tips of his whiskers were graying, and he did not move with the strength a young cat did. But he caught that hare in seconds.
"Stop staring at me," Scorchpaw growled. "Give me that hare back."
"It can't be," the rogue whispered. "Leon… it can't be you."
"Huh?" Scorchpaw's yellow eyes widened as he stared at the rogue. Who is Leon? "Who are you talking about? My name is Scorchpaw."
"S-Scorchpaw?" the rogue echoed, stepping back. The fur that was rising on his back flattened, but the shock – and perhaps terror – never left his dark amber eyes. Scorchpaw gasped as he looked the tom up and down. The ginger patches were familiar – too familiar. And they shared the same stripes on their spots… and their amber eyes… were they the same? No way. It's just a coincidence. There are cats in the world who look like each other. "You… you look just like… my son."
"Who is your son?" Scorchpaw asked, completely baffled. He looks just like my father! Down to the eyes and everything! But how is that possible?
"My son is a cat by the name of Leon," the tom replied. "My name is Habu. I lost my son years ago."
"Lost…?" Scorchpaw echoed. "Like, died?" It can't be Swiftstar. They have different names.
"No." Habu shook his head. "He left to join a band of wild cats. I pleaded and pleaded with him not to go. I knew life with wild cats was dangerous. But he refused to listen to me, and so he left. I haven't heard from him since."
"You say he left to join wild cats?" Gorsepaw asked, a frown on his face. "That sounds like our Clan leader, Swiftstar. Cats say he was born a rogue and joined WindClan when he was an adult. He looks just like you, Habu." Suspicion had darkened Gorsepaw's eyes, but now it was replaced with pure curiosity as he studied the rogue intently.
"Swiftstar…" Habu echoed, gazing at Scorchpaw. "You say he looks like me?"
"Ginger-and-white, big, orange eyes," Gorsepaw explained. "Is… is he your son? Since he left the rogues to join the Clan cats, and you say he left you to join the wild?"
"It's the only possible explanation." Habu's words were directed towards Gorsepaw, but his gaze never wavered from Scorchpaw's. "You look just like Leon. Are you, perhaps, his son?"
"I…" Scorchpaw cleared his throat, trying to find the words. He wanted to disprove everything Habu had said – but it all made sense. Swiftstar had been born a rogue, it was common knowledge in the Clan, and that he had left them to join the Clan cats. Habu and Swiftstar looked exactly alike, and he also looked like Scorchpaw, as well. Scorchpaw could even see the same amber eyes that he, Adderpaw, and Swiftstar shared in Habu's gaze. What if this cat is lying to me? But the facts lined up. It didn't make sense for Habu to be lying. "I'm Swiftstar's son. You're… my grandfather?"
"It appears so," Habu meowed, relief swamping his gaze. He reached out his head, perhaps to nuzzle Scorchpaw, but Scorchpaw stepped back. Even if this cat was his kin, he didn't know him at all. Habu looked crestfallen but did not remark on it. "I'm so glad to see my kin alive. Is Leon okay? Is he alive? He must be if you're here."
"Swiftstar's alive," Gorsepaw told Habu. "Alive and well. He has two other kits – Adderpaw and Russetpaw. Adderpaw looks like you, too."
"I'd love to meet him some day," Habu remarked. "But I don't like Leon would ever want to see me."
"Why?" Scorchpaw asked. "You're his father, aren't you?"
"I am," Habu replied. "But we had a falling out before he left. He told me his wish to join the warrior cats and said I could visit him if I wanted to. But… I told him… I told him that he would die living with the wild cats, and if that was the way he wanted to go, I'd rather kill him instead."
Scorchpaw stared at his grandfather, his amber eyes wide. "Why would you say that?" he snarled at him. "What a cruel thing to say!"
Habu gazed at Scorchpaw. "I wasn't in my right mind," he said. "I said some things I wish I could take back, but I never can. So he told me that if I wanted to kill him, I should go ahead and do it. I didn't move. He said he wanted nothing to do with me, and if he saw me again, he'd kill me. And then he left. I haven't seen him since." When Habu ended his story, Scorchpaw could see tears welling in his sun-colored eyes, and guilt for lashing out at him dampened Scorchpaw's heart. The old cat was clearly still suffering from the loss of his son, although it had been seasons ago, it seemed that he had never gotten over it.
"Maybe we can arrange a visit for you," Gorsepaw suggested. "To see your son again."
"I appreciate the offer, young kit, but that's not possible." Habu shook his head. "I saw the hate and fury in my son's eyes, and I know the threat is still there. I may be old, but I have a few seasons left in me, and I don't want to be cut down by my own son. But, if there's some cat I'd like to see again…" Habu turned his small head to gaze at Scorchpaw. "It would be you."
"Me?" Scorchpaw echoed, bewildered. "But I don't know you."
"You could," Habu meowed. "I have no relationship with my son anymore, but now that I know I have more kin out there, I'd like to get to know them, if I can never get my son back."
"But… my father hates you!" Scorchpaw exclaimed. How could Habu even suggest that, after he described the hate Swiftstar had towards him? "What would he think if I ended up befriending you?"
"Scorchpaw…" Habu murmured. "Think about it." The rogue pushed the dead hare in front of his paws to the two apprentices. "This is for you. I'm sorry for stealing your prey."
Scorchpaw said nothing to Habu. Instead, he thanked him with a nod to his head and grabbed the hare in his jaws. Flicking his tail towards Gorsepaw, Scorchpaw turned on his heel and bounded through the grassland, all the while aware of Habu's yellow gaze burning into his back. Scorchpaw climbed the hills, Gorsepaw by his side, until they finally reached the moorland. The wind buffeted against Scorchpaw's fur, and he pumped his muscles to move more briskly. Running distracted him from the thoughts of his grandfather.
He had more family out there? He was sure it was just Sunleaf, Russetpaw, Adderpaw, and Swiftstar. How did he even know if Habu was telling the truth? He's not lying. But, if Swiftstar hated Habu so much, how could he betray his father by telling him about Habu? I can't get to know him! Swiftstar would rip me apart! I'd hurt him, and I don't want to do that! Gritting his teeth, Scorchpaw pushed himself further.
"Scorchpaw!" Gorsepaw yowled, and the intensity of his friend's scream made Scorchpaw drop his rabbit and hurl around, staring at the mottled apprentice with wide amber eyes.
"What?" Scorchpaw demanded. "What is it? Did you see something?"
Gorsepaw narrowed his yellow eyes. "Are you okay?" he asked. "I know that must've been hard, seeing Habu. But I just want to know if you're feeling all right, and if there's anything I can do to help you."
"I'm fine." Scorchpaw's teeth were gritted as he forced the words out of his mouth. Was he really? How could he be okay, knowing that he had another family member out there? Swiftstar had always told him that the most important thing in the world was family. Well, Habu was family. There was a longing, a tugging at Scorchpaw's heart, telling him to meet Habu. Habu was his blood kin, after all. But there were only two options for Scorchpaw – the first one was meeting Habu and betraying his father, and the second one was leaving Habu alone and making his father proud. It was obvious which one he was going to choose.
"If you say so," Gorsepaw said, his eye whiskers furrowing. "I'll be here if you need to talk. But I've got to ask you something. Are you going to tell Swiftstar about Habu?"
"I…" Scorchpaw's words trailed off as he contemplated the thought. Then he shook his head. "No. I can't. I don't want to make him upset. But I've got to tell Russetpaw. And maybe Adderpaw, too."
"You don't think they'll tell Swiftstar?" Gorsepaw asked.
Scorchpaw shook his head. "No." He knew that Adderpaw and Russetpaw wouldn't breathe a word of it to Swiftstar – after all, no cat in WindClan wanted to face the wrath of Swiftstar, kin or not. Scorchpaw picked up the hare in his jaws and dashed away from Gorsepaw, the stalks of the grass rustling against his stocky legs as he approached the dip in the moorland. He slipped down the walls of the hollow and entered the camp, dragging the hare alongside with him.
The weight of the hare had caused Scorchpaw great strain, and he was relieved when he was finally able to drop it down on the fresh-kill pile. Scorchpaw lifted his head, eyeing the setting sun. Russetpaw and Adderpaw would be back from training soon. He'd have to tell them then. It wasn't fair for them not to know about their other kin. He wasn't sure how they would react – he and Adderpaw weren't exactly close, but Scorchpaw wanted to rectify that.
The camp life went on as usual. Berrysplash was ordering the evening patrols in the middle of the clearing. Spottedwing and Oakcloud were sharing a rabbit near the warriors' den, and Bramblepaw was holding mouse bile in his mouth and trekking over to the elders' den. Patchshine stretched out her limbs in a patch of sunlight, and Wasppaw and Hollyfrost were sharing tongues near the Tall Branch. Violetheart had exited the medicine den and was holding a bundle of herbs in her jaws.
Just daily life, Scorchpaw thought. I don't want anything to mess this up. It's not like finding about Habu is going to be the end of the world. But I don't know how Father will react, and I don't think it's the best idea to tell him. Who knows what will happen if he finds out? Just as Scorchpaw was musing to himself, an overwhelming scent of his Clanmates crowded at the entrance, and he turned around to see the apprentices returning. Scorchpaw spotted Russetpaw's long fur in the crowd, and Adderpaw's ginger-and-white pelt – identical to Swiftstar's and Scorchpaw's – right behind her.
"Russetpaw!" Scorchpaw hissed through his teeth. Russetpaw's ears twitched, and she turned her dark ginger head towards Scorchpaw. She trekked over to him, and even though exhaustion glazed her eyes, there was still the same spirit in there Scorchpaw had always associated with her. Hopefully, she reacts well.
"What's up?" Russetpaw asked. A frown fell upon her mouth, and Scorchpaw guessed he was showing his emotions on his face. His sister could always read him so easily. "What happened?"
"Can you get Adderpaw?" Scorchpaw inquired. "I need to tell you guys something important."
"Adderpaw?" Russetpaw sighed heavily. "Can't you do it?"
"Please!" Scorchpaw pleaded with his sister, knowing just how stubborn she was. "It's important. Please get him and meet me near the lakeshore."
Russetpaw's green eyes widened. Then she nodded. "Fine. But you owe me." The dark ginger she-cat turned away from her brother and slipped into the crowd. Scorchpaw watched her go for a moment, and then, making use of the commotion, slipped out of camp, climbing the walls until he found himself surrounded by grassland. Within seconds, he took off, his thoughts whirling in his mind as he hastened his pace through the grassland.
He ran and ran, watching the sun slowly set over the lake as it sent golden and orange rays rippling over the surface of the water. The clouds were tinged blood red, and the trees on the shore line were blanketed with shadows. The island in the lake stood out starkly against the turquoise waves, looking bare and lonely compared to the other times Scorchpaw had seen it, when it was bustling with activity and cats.
Scorchpaw stopped just at the shoreline, looking down at the sand as it covered his white paws. He shook the sand away and sat down, wrapping his tail around his paws as he focused his eyes on the moorland that spanned around him. He could spot two figures in the distance and recognized them as they approached him. It was the dark figure of Russetpaw, and the bigger, broader figure of Adderpaw. The two cats were running, faster than the gods themselves, and when they finally reached Scorchpaw, he was ready for a barrage of questions.
"What is it?" Adderpaw demanded, irritation flickering in his amber eyes. Scorchpaw couldn't blame him – it was evening, and after the apprentices trained they looked forward to a good night's sleep. Russetpaw clicked her tongue and sat down, her long tail-tip twitching and bringing up sand with it. "We're supposed to be eating now, just in case you didn't know."
"Normally I don't agree with Adderpaw," Russetpaw meowed, the pointed words receiving a dark glare from Adderpaw, "but I'm starved and tired, so what's the problem, Scorchpaw?"
"Gorsepaw and I were hunting today," Scorchpaw began, "and we found ourselves out of WindClan's territory. I saw a hare, and then when I tried to catch it, my catch was stolen. By a cat with ginger-and-white fur."
Adderpaw interrupted his story before Scorchpaw could go on. "So, you brought us all the way here because of some cat that stole your prey? I swear, Scorchpaw, I—"
"Let him go on!" Russetpaw snapped at Adderpaw. Adderpaw glared at her but shut his jaws tight and waited for Scorchpaw to continue.
"Then, when I confronted him, he looked up and he stared at me… like… he recognized me. He asked me if I knew a cat by the name of Leon. I said I didn't. He told me that Leon was his son, and he had left him years ago to join the wild cats. Gorsepaw told him Swiftstar's backstory, and the cat said that Leon was probably Swiftstar. I thought it was a bunch of rabbit-dung, but… it makes sense. Swiftstar was a rogue cat, and the story adds up. Plus, he looked just like us! He had our eyes, and Adderpaw, his pelt was identical to you, me, and Father!"
"Wait, wait." Adderpaw cut him off again. "Where are you going with this, Scorchpaw?"
Scorchpaw lashed his tail, irritation making his temper close to snapping. "I'm saying that we have a grandfather out there, alive and well!" he burst out, staring at Adderpaw and Russetpaw.
"Grandfather?" Russetpaw echoed. "Are you sure, Scorchpaw? Just because he said so, doesn't mean—"
"It's not just that!" Scorchpaw cut his sister off. "He told me he had a son who left him to join the Clan cats. He told me his son was ginger-and-white, and he looked just like me! He thought I was him! He has the same eyes as all of us do! And he told me his son hates him."
"Swiftstar doesn't talk about his father at all," Adderpaw commented, "so we have no idea what he really thinks. I think you have rabbit-fluff in your head, Scorchpaw. There's no way we have a grandfather out there. And, if we do, I'm not interested in meeting him. So, you've dragged me out here for nothing and you've wasted my time. Instead of coming up with make believe stories about grandfathers, how about you please our father?"
Scorchpaw opened his mouth to say something to Adderpaw, but the ginger-and-white tom turned on his heel and marched away, back into the moorland. Scorchpaw dragged his gaze to Russetpaw. "You've got to believe me," he told her. "Gorsepaw was with me, too. He saw the whole thing."
"Oh, of course I believe you," Russetpaw told Scorchpaw, reaching her head to lick her brother's forehead. "I know you're an honest and smart cat, and if you say we have a grandfather out there, then, well, I believe you. But just because we do have one, it doesn't mean I want anything to do with him. Dealing with Swiftstar is enough. I can't imagine dealing with a second version of him."
"But Russetpaw, he didn't seem that bad," Scorchpaw told her. "He said he wanted us to meet again. He said he wanted to know me."
"Sounds like a trap if you ask me," Russetpaw said, pressing her lips together. "You can't trust the father of Swiftstar."
"Swiftstar is your father!" Scorchpaw reprimanded her.
Russetpaw heaved a sigh. "Yeah, he is. But that doesn't mean we need to talk to his father. I don't know, Scorchpaw. I don't trust this cat, and I think you should leave him alone. We have no idea of what his true intentions are. If he was around when Swiftstar left, why didn't he stop him from going? Does he even care about him? Why do you think he cares about you?"
"Russetpaw—"
"It's late," Russetpaw meowed, getting to her paws. "Let's talk about this more tomorrow. We need to get back to camp before Swiftstar notices that we're gone – or, gods forbid, Adderpaw tells him anything." The dark ginger she-cat started to walk away, and Scorchpaw watched her go, dejected. He had expected at least one of his siblings to be intrigued with his story, and to come back with him to meet Habu. But both of them had turned him down, and they clearly wanted nothing to do with the rest of their kin out there.
Does no cat but me want to meet the rest of our family?